Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

An apparatus and a method for changing a theme form of an application to
conform the user experience to a web application or a native application
in a portable terminal. The apparatus for changing the application theme
in the portable terminal may comprise a controlling unit for changing an
application theme into an application theme of a different device type, a
displaying unit for outputting a change process of the application theme
and the application to which the changed theme is applied, an inputting
unit for generating a change request of the application theme and a theme
application managing unit for converting theme data, obtained from
compiled data of an application, through an inverse-compiling process, to
data suitable for the theme form of a second application.

Claims:

1. An apparatus for changing a theme of an application in a portable
terminal, the apparatus comprising: a controlling unit for converting the
theme of the application into a theme of a different device type; a
displaying unit for outputting a process of the theme conversion and an
application to which the converted theme is applied; an inputting unit
for generating a conversion request of the application; and a theme
managing unit for converting an obtained conversion data into components
suitable for a theme form of a second application, after obtaining the
conversion data from compiled data of the application through an
inverse-compiling process, wherein the second application is an
application of the different device type to which the converted theme is
applied.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the theme managing unit extracts the
conversion data, including the script data of application for theme
conversion, and including at least one of Edge Data Collection (EDC) data
of the native application and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) data of the web
application.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the theme managing unit determines
theme components of the obtained conversion data and converts the
determined theme components into components suitable for the theme form
of the second application.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the theme managing unit determines
the theme components of the obtained conversion data by recognizing
content to designate at least one selected from a group consisting of a
background, a font, a font size, a font color and a menu form from the
obtained conversion data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the theme managing unit converts the
form of the native application into the theme of the web application.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the theme managing unit converts the
theme of the web application into the theme of the native application.

7. A method for changing a theme of an application in a portable
terminal, the method comprising: obtaining a conversion data from a
complied data of an application for changing the theme, through an
inverse-compiling process; and converting the obtained conversion data
into components suitable for a theme form of a second application,
wherein the second application is an application of a different device
type for which the theme is changed.

8. The method of claim 7, where the conversion data includes the script
data of the application for changing the theme, including at least one of
Edge Data Collection (EDC) data of the native application and Cascading
Style Sheet (CSS) data of the web application.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein converting the obtained conversion data
comprises: determining theme components of the obtained conversion data;
and converting the determined theme components into components suitable
for the theme form of the second application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the theme components of
the obtained conversion data comprises recognizing content designating at
least one selected from a group consisting of a background, a font, a
font size, a font color and a menu form from the obtained conversion
data.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein converting the determined theme
components into components suitable for the theme form of the second
application comprises converting the theme of the native application into
the theme of the web application.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein converting the determined theme
components into components suitable for the theme form of the second
application comprises converting the theme of the web application into
the theme of the native application.

13. A portable terminal for changing a theme of an application,
comprising: one or more controller; memory unit; and one or more modules
configured for execution by the controller, the modules including one or
more instructions to: obtain a conversion data from a complied data of an
application for changing the theme, through an inverse-compiling process;
and convert the obtained conversion data into components suitable for a
theme form of a second application, wherein the second application is an
application of a different device type for which the theme is changed.

14. The portable terminal of claim 13, where the conversion data includes
the script data of the application for changing the theme, including at
least one of Edge Data Collection (EDC) data of the native application
and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) data of the web application.

15. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein to convert the obtained
conversion data comprises: to determine theme components of the obtained
conversion data; and to convert the determined theme components into
components suitable for the theme form of the second application.

16. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein to determine the theme
components of the obtained conversion data comprises to recognize content
designating at least one selected from a group consisting of a
background, a font, a font size, a font color and a menu form from the
obtained conversion data.

17. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein to convert the determined
theme components into components suitable for the theme form of the
second application comprises to convert the theme of the native
application into the theme of the web application.

18. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein to convert the determined
theme components into components suitable for the theme form of the
second application comprises to convert the theme of the web application
into the theme of the native application.

Description:

PRIORITY

[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
§119(a) to a Korean patent application filed in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office on Jul. 25, 2011 and assigned Serial No.
10-2011-0073385, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates generally to an execution of an
application in a portable terminal.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] A portable terminal is used by people of all ages as a necessity of
modern life, and service providers and terminal manufacturers have been
developing various products and services for use with the portable
terminal.

[0007] In addition, a user of the portable terminal may download and
install a paid or free application providing additional functionality. An
application operating in a portable terminal may be classified as a
native application and a web application. A web application generally
operates in a web browser, and a native application generally operates by
utilizing an Application Programming Interface (API) defined for a
specific platform.

[0008] A web application may have a theme configuration (for example,
font, font size, font color, background screen, menu form and the like)
different from that of the native application and as a result, user
experience may differ depending on the application format (web
application and native application), even though application
functionality is identical.

[0009] That is, the web application may provide a layout based on a web
browser and the native application may provide another layout depending
on the application design, resulting in a different user experience of an
identical application depending on the application format. If the user of
the portable terminal is comfortable with the theme configuration of the
native application, he may want the theme configuration of the web
application to be set as that of the native application.

[0010] The difficulty in utilizing the theme of the native application as
discussed above, is that a developer has to design an identical
application in a native application format and web application format,
and the user has to select a favorite format to use.

[0011] Hence, to solve the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus and a
method for converting script data of an application into a suitable
application format in a portable terminal are required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve at least
the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least
the advantages below. Accordingly, and an aspect of the present invention
is to provide an apparatus and a method for supporting an application of
a different device type in a portable terminal.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus
and a method for changing a theme configuration of an application by
changing a script of an application in a portable terminal.

[0014] Yet, another aspect of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus and a method for generating an application to support a plural
of application forms in a portable terminal.

[0015] According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for
changing the theme of an application includes a controlling unit for
converting an application theme to be changed into an application theme
of a different device type, a displaying unit for outputting a change
process of the application theme and the application to which the changed
theme is applied, an inputting unit for generating a change request of
the application theme and a theme managing unit for converting obtained
conversion data into components suitable for a theme form of a second
application, after obtaining the conversion data from compiled data of
the application through an inverse-compiling process.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for
changing the application theme in a portable terminal includes obtaining
a conversion data from compiled data of the application for changing the
theme, through an inverse-compiling process and converting the obtained
conversion data into components suitable for a theme form of a second
application, wherein the second application is an application of a
different device type, for which the theme is changed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present
invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
portable terminal to change an application theme according to the present
invention;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing an
application theme into a suitable platform type;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing a form of
an application theme in a portable terminal according to an embodiment of
the present invention; and

[0021]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing a form of
an application theme in a portable terminal according to an embodiment of
the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0022] Various embodiments of the present invention are described in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed description
of known functions or constructions are omitted to avoid obscuring the
subject matter of the present invention.

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and a
method for changing a theme form of an application and processing a web
application and a native application to conform user experience to the
web application and native application in the portable terminal.

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention provide an application and a
method for automatically changing a script data of an application to
support an application of a different device type, which may be an
application operating based on a web-browser and a native application
operating with an API defined in a specific platform.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
portable terminal to change an application theme according to the present
invention.

[0027] The controlling unit 100 of the portable terminal controls the
overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, the controlling
unit 100 may carry out a process and control for voice communication and
data communication. In addition to the general functions, the controlling
unit 100 may carry out supporting an application of a different device
type in the portable terminal according to the present invention. That
is, the controlling unit 100 may automatically convert script data and
utilize a theme configuration regardless of an application form to
conform user experience of the application.

[0028] The controlling unit 100 controls the theme managing unit 102, and
converts a theme of a web application into that of a native application
and vice versa. In addition, the method described herein may be provided
as one or more instructions in one or more software modules stored in the
storage device. The software modules may be executed by the controller.

[0029] The theme managing unit 102 changes a theme form of an application
according to the control of the controlling unit 100. For example, the
theme of the web application may be converted into the theme of the
native application in the portable terminal and vice versa.

[0030] The data converting unit 104 of the theme managing unit 102 obtains
conversion data through inverse-compilation of the compiled data of the
application in order to edit a script file of the application to which a
theme conversion intends to be applied. The conversion data may be
Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) data to the compiled data of the web
application or Edge Data Collection (EDC) data to the compiled data of
the native application.

[0031] The script converting unit 106 of the theme managing unit 102
converts theme components of the conversion data converted by the data
converting unit 104 into theme components suitable for a form of a second
application. That is, after the script converting unit 106 determines the
components of the script file of the native application such as
background, font, font size, font color and the like, the script
conversion unit 106 converts the determined components into components
suitable for the script file of the native application.

[0032] The theme managing unit 102 (the data converting unit 104 and/or
script converting unit 106) may be referred to as another controller.

[0033] The memory unit 108 may comprise a ROM, a RAM and a flash ROM. The
ROM may store the micro-cord of a program for processing and controlling
the controlling unit 100 and the theme managing unit 102, and various
reference data.

[0034] When the memory unit 108 comprises a RAM as the working memory of
the controlling unit 100, the controlling part 100 stores temporary data
generated during the operation of various programs. When the working
memory is a flash ROM, the flash ROM stores renewable various data for
filing such as a phone book, an outgoing message, an incoming message and
the like, and may store a web application or a native application
downloaded through the Internet or supplied from the portable terminal
according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] The method executed by the theme managing unit 102 (the data
converting unit 104 and/or script converting unit 106) may be provided as
one or more instructions in one or more software modules stored in the
memory unit 108. In that case, the software modules are executed by the
controller unit 100.

[0036] The inputting unit 110 may comprise numeral buttons from 0 to 9, a
menu button, a cancel button, a verify button, a call button, an end
button, an access button, navigation key (or direction keys) buttons,
character input keys and the like, and provides the controlling unit 100
with key input data corresponding to keys pressed by a user. In addition,
the inputting unit 110 provides the controlling unit 100 with input data
at the request of a user for changing the theme of an application stored
previously.

[0037] The displaying unit 112 displays status information, characters,
many moving pictures, many images and the like generated during the
operation of the portable terminal. The displaying unit 112 may use a
color liquid display apparatus, AMOLED and the like, and the displaying
unit 112 may have a touch input device to use as an input means for
applying a touch input type for the portable terminal. In addition, the
displaying unit 112 may display an application whose theme is converted
according to the present invention. A touch sensitive display, referred
to as a touch screen, may be used as the display unit 112 and touch input
may be performed via the touch sensitive display.

[0038] The communicating unit 114 transmits and receives wireless signals
of data input and output through an antenna. For example, the
communicating unit 114 may channel-code and spread data to be transmitted
and generate RF signals for transmitting. Further, the communicating unit
114 may convert the received RF signal into a base band signal to spread
and channel-decode the signal for restoring the data.

[0039] The role of the theme managing unit 102 may be performed by the
controlling unit 100 of the portable terminal, but it is separated from
the controlling unit 100 in the foregoing description for convenience and
illustration purposes only and not intended to limit the present
invention. Alternatively, all of the functions described above may be
performed by the controlling unit 100.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing an
application theme into a suitable platform type.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 2, in Step 201 it is verified whether a theme of
an application is changed in the portable terminal. Changing the theme of
the application refers to changing the theme configuration (for example,
shape of button, wallpaper, font, size of font and color of font and the
like) of the application supplied from the portable terminal, the
Internet or a peripheral portable terminal, and the theme configuration
of a web application may be changed into that of a native application or
vice versa. The web application is an application operating in a web
browser, and the native application is an application operating by using
an API defined for a specific platform. Generally, the theme
configuration of the web application is different from that of the native
application, and a user has a different experience of an identical
application depending on the form of application (web application, native
application). Hence, a user of the portable terminal comfortable with the
theme configuration of the native application may prefer the theme
configuration of the web application to be set to that of the native
application.

[0042] If it is verified that the application theme is not to be changed
in Step 201, a corresponding function (for example, standby mode) may be
performed in the portable terminal in Step 219.

[0043] If it is verified that the application theme is changed in Step
201, an application whose theme intends to be changed is selected in Step
203 in the portable terminal. In that case, a web application or native
application for changing the theme among applications stored previously
is selected in the portable terminal. In that case, if the web
application is selected in the portable terminal in Step 203, the theme
configuration of the web application selected by the user results in the
web application being changed into the theme configuration of the native
application in the portable terminal, while if the native application is
selected in the portable terminal in Step 203, the theme configuration of
the native application selected by the user results in the native
application being changed into the theme configuration of the web
application in the portable terminal.

[0044] In Step 205, the compiled data of the selected application may be
verified in the portable terminal. If a web application is selected in
Step 203, the complied data includes data made by compiling CSS file,
while if a native application is selected in Step 203, the compiled data
includes data made by compiling EDC file.

[0045] The compiled data may be inverse-compiled for obtaining a
conversion data to the compiled data in the portable terminal in Step
207. The conversion data includes a CSS file or EDC file to the compiled
data.

[0046] In Step 209, the conversion data obtained in Step 207 is analyzed
in the portable terminal, and it is verified whether it is possible to
change the theme in Step 211 in the portable terminal. In that case, it
can be verified whether requisite theme components (for example, font,
size, wallpaper, color and the like) for composing a layout construction
of the application selected by the user is included in the portable
terminal.

[0047] If it is verified that it is impossible to change the application
theme in Step 211 (because the requisite theme components for composing
the layout construction is not included), an existing application theme,
that is the application theme selected in Step 203 is utilized in the
portable terminal in Step 221.

[0048] In step 211, it is verified that it is possible to change the
application theme (because the requisite theme components for composing
the layout construction are included). In Step 213, the theme components
of the conversion data are converted into a theme form of a second
application. In this case, the second application is an application
intended to support the converted theme. That is, if the native
application is selected for changing the theme in the portable terminal,
the conversion data of the native application is converted into component
data of a web application form in Step 213. If the web application is
selected for changing the theme in the portable terminal, the conversion
data of the web application is converted into the component data of the
native application form in Step 213.

[0049] In Step 215, it is verified whether the converted data form is
compatible in the second application in the portable terminal.

[0050] If it is verified that the converted theme form is not compatible,
the existing application theme that is, the application theme selected in
Step 203, is utilized in Step 221 in the portable terminal.

[0051] If it is verified that the theme form converted in Step 215 is
compatible, the theme converted in Step 217 is applied in Step 217 in the
portable terminal. Therefore, if a provider for supplying the application
provides some application using one script sheet regardless of the
application form, an application suitable for a form desired by the user
is provided by converting the script sheet in the portable terminal.

[0052]FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing the form
of an application theme in a portable terminal according to an embodiment
of the present invention.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 3, as in Step 213 in FIG. 2, theme components of
conversion data are converted into a theme form of a second application
in the portable terminal.

[0054] In order to perform the same operation described above, theme
components are determined in the converted data in Step 301, and then a
theme form of a second application for converting is verified in Step
303. Here, in Step 301, a script area corresponding to the theme
components in the converted data is verified and, in Step 303, it is
verified that the application selected by the user is converted into a
web application form or a native application form.

[0055] In Step 305, the theme components are re-made as a form
corresponding to the second application in the portable terminal. That
is, the previously selected theme components such as color, menu form and
the like are changed into a theme corresponding to the second application
in the portable terminal. Further, as in Step 214 in FIG. 2, a process
for verifying whether the converted theme form is compatible in the
second application is performed.

[0056]FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for changing the form
of an application theme in a portable terminal according to an embodiment
of the present invention.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 4, an application for converting is selected for
changing a theme configuration (for example, button shape, wallpaper,
font and size, color and the like) of an application supplied from the
portable terminal or an application supplied from the Internet or a
peripheral portable terminal in the portable terminal.

[0058] For example, a theme of a native application is converted into a
theme of a web application in the portable terminal (indicated as a solid
line).

[0059] In order to perform the operation described above, the script
converting unit 401 of the portable terminal converts the script file 403
of the native application selected previously into a script file 405 of
the web application.

[0060] That is, the script converting unit 401 determines the theme
configuration components such as background, font, font size, font color
in the script file 403 of the native application, and converts the
determined components into components suitable for the script file 405 of
the web application.

[0061] Alternatively, the theme of the web application may be converted
into the theme of the native application in the portable terminal
(indicated as dashed line).

[0062] In order to perform the operation described above, the script
converting unit 401 of the portable terminal converts the script file 407
of the web application selected previously into the script file 409 of
the native application.

[0063] That is, the script converting unit 401 determines the theme
configuration components such as background, font, font size, font color
and the like in the script file 407 of the web application and converts
the determined components into components suitable for the script file
409 of the native application.

[0064] Therefore, one application may be composed of a web application
theme and a native application theme in the portable terminal. That is,
the theme suitable for the web application form or the theme suitable for
the native application form may be applied using one script sheet in the
portable terminal.

[0065] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as
hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software. The
software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage
such as, for example, a storage device like a Read Only Memory (ROM),
erasable or rewritable, or in the form of memory such as, for example,
Random Access Memory (RAM), memory chips, device or integrated circuits
or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example,
a Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), magnetic disk or
magnetic tape or the like. The storage devices and storage media are
implemented as machine-readable storage that is suitable for storing a
program or programs comprising instructions that, when executed, perform
the method of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments of the
present invention provide a program comprising code for implementing an
apparatus or a method of the present invention described herein and a
machine-readable storage storing such a program. Further, such programs
may be conveyed electronically via any medium such as a communication
signal carried over a wired or wireless connection. As discussed above,
the present invention provides support for different device types in the
portable terminal and conforms user experience of the application, by
automatically converting the script data of the application and utilizing
the theme configuration regardless of the application format.

[0066] While the present invention has been shown and described with
reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined
by the appended claims.

Patent applications by Jae-Min Lee, Seoul KR

Patent applications by Jang Hyun Yoon, Yongin-Si KR

Patent applications by Ji-Hyun Kim, Hwaseong-Si KR

Patent applications by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.

Patent applications in class Stylesheet based markup language transformation/translation (e.g., to a published format using stylesheet, etc.)

Patent applications in all subclasses Stylesheet based markup language transformation/translation (e.g., to a published format using stylesheet, etc.)